Defender Industries Reviews 

The management seemed very nice however they didn't have many items in stock and required me to wait long periods to receive the parts I was looking for. Now sure how they can stay in business with that lag time.

I decided not to work with this company after a phone call I had with them. The person seemed distracted and wasn't able to answer my questions after asking me to repeat the questions multiple times.

I basically got the run around when my part I ordered didn't arrive on time.

I wasn't happy with the service I received. Overpriced and mediocre service performed.

They communicate poorly and don't give updates on the work or delivery. I've had to call in multiple times for updates.

The person I spoke to on the phone didn't seem like he knew what he was talking about. I asked some questions on specific parts and he kept having to put me on hold and coming back with a partial answer. I'd rather send my business to a company that is well knowledged.

The positive reviews look like they were paid for or they had their friends post as I have never experienced such bad customer service in my life. I foret if his name was Ryan or Brian, but he treated me like I was an idiot and didn't know anything. His demeanor was very arogant and cocky. Maybe I caught him on a bad day but I decided not to work with them.

I am upset I didn't read the reviews prior. They are not professional and are not thorough with their work. You know the saying, return things the way you received it or in better condition..well they do not belive in this in my experience.

My brother and I were shopping around looking for parts to upgrade my fathers Land Rover as a suprise. Defender Northwest assured me they could take care of me and would have what I was looking for in stock that following week. I called the following week and they said they will have it in another week. I called the following week again and they apologized and said one more week. I called again the following week and I was told no one spoe to me and that part was never ordered. What a waste of 3 weeks when we could have gone with another company that would actually help us out.

If I could do zero stars I would. These people do not stand behind products. They will tell you they need to wait for some Chinese manufacturers to refund them before refunding you. Avoid these people!!-

Highly disappointed. I ordered a product, in hopes of getting it by the advertised date, and it didn’t ship. By chance I looked in my spam folder and found an email that said they authorized an additional small amount on my credit card statement. I needed to reply back with the amount to release the order.

When I replied with the amount, they said it didn’t match the amount they authorized. What? I sent them screenshots of my statement, to which they replied, “oh yeah AMEX adds a dollar to our authorization”. What?

They currently have my original purchase funds, we are well past the advertised received date, and I still don’t have confirmation of shipping.

Terrible experience.

Formerly 5 stars for having the best price for most everything a general consumer and even an aggressive DIY mechanic/electrician/fiberglass boat repair person with awesome customer service, everything in stock, and reliably shipping the next day.

They are 4.5 stars now, giving many companies a chance to earn my business as shipping is no longer the next day, and discounts have evaporated, making West Marine look not so bad. (West Marine is still expensive, but the ability to touch and see product and walk out the door with it, is a big plus. My business at West Marine doubled since Defender prices went up)

For sure Defender is a solid company that reliably delivers products through a combination of maintaining stock and reliably showing inventory levels while shopping (like Amazon does). If you are willing to wait 4 days to get the best shipping terms (SurePost) the trade-off is far better prices than West Marine and Amazon. They also excel at shipping, providing much better product protection (thick boxes) than Amazon.

Really the only way you can do better, is to go directly to companies that specialize in a specific category, like Vela Sailing Supply and Fisheries Supply each have nitch product categories that have cheaper prices and also reliable delivery. They also carry newer products that Defender is slow to add.

So, as much as I like the older Defender far better, Defender solidly earns 4.5 stars and is highly recommended.

We have used Defender for years but have been out of the country for the last 3 years. Tried to place an order and it took me all morning to navigate the check-out. Hopefully my order arrives intact and on time but am very disappointed with a company we used to trust. We hear there's new owners. Better fix these problems because a lot of old customers will be shopping somewhere else.

I recently purchased an AB DINGHY at almost $7000 from defender.com 6 of the 8 photos shows a cushion on the bow seat,which you would expect at that price and its in all the photos. when it wasn't in the shipment i called only to be told that i was never getting one, not included. When i suggested that was false advertising they changed the photos and told me it was in the fine print. Which was not there when i purchased such an outragously high priced inflatable boat from them. Wow! Spend that much money a be treated like im asking too much.
I have included defenders reply
Paul,
The Cushion is NOT included with the boat from AB. The AB Factory in Columbia does not include the bow cushion with the boat. AB USA was sourcing the cushions from an American Supplier whom was sold to another vendor and cancelled production of the cushions for AB.
It is also noted on Defender's Website that the boat is "Shown with optional bow cus

I ordered some parts and had them shipped from their shopping cart to an address in Florida. They shipped the package and then later informed me that that shipper would not deliver to the address in doral city but only near the address (about two miles away). Since I’m out of state I’m powerless to pick it up and no one else can pick it up for me. Defender tells me not to worry. Eventually the package will get returned and then they will give me a refund less the shipping fee. Are they crazy?

We have been coming to Defender for years - today was our last time . We had a mercury outboard under warranty- they told us it was a fuel issue which voided the warranty. We paid for the repair when we picked the motor up from the shop the mechanics told us it was not a fuel issue - We.spoke to the manager who was combative, contradictory and rude . Like many other reviews state Defender has gone so far down hill - like them we will never return

We purchased an Achilles HB 300-FX dinghy from Defender. After less than a year, the front grab handle has ripped. Defender has been completely uncooperative or helpful in making a warranty claim. They immediately blamed it on us. I would not recommend purchasing from Defender now that it is under new ownership.

Not sure if this is a rating of Defender or UPS. I often receive an order in one or two days from Connecticut to Pennsylvania. This time I ordered a large can of epoxy and it took four days and the can was SEVERELY dented on the top, bottom, and side.

Friends is a scam store. I bought the first echo sounder from them in 2022. Everything was fine. In 2023, I was going to make a purchase on their website, but it was canceled and asked to pay with a swift transfer. I did it, but as it turned out, they don't have this product. They promised to return the money, but this is a scam. No money.
The money was returned, but I lost $80 with it.

Major disruption to business.

End of January 2023, UNANNOUNCED, after paying $50 for Defender 1st premium for our professional account, Defender changed their web presence, requiring new logon, lost all of our previous order records, and is now giving the Defender 1st discount to everyone everyone.

OK change your system but give members a heads up and don't ask for uis to pay for membership just 2 weeks earlier and then mess this up this bad.

You have lost 2 large orders from us over the weekend and I don't plan to order through you until you get your act together.